Win commercial electrical work and maintenance contracts

How commercial electrical work is bought

Commercial electrical work arrives in three streams, and each one is bought differently.

• Reactive work. A tripped safety switch, a dead light in a stairwell, no power to a kitchen. It goes to whoever the manager trusts and who answers. Property managers get the owner's approval for anything over a set amount, then send the job.
• Planned and compliance work. Testing and tagging under AS/NZS 3760, six-monthly emergency and exit light testing under AS/NZS 2293.2, switchboard inspections and smoke alarm servicing. It runs on a schedule, so it is worth the most over time. Facilities managers and strata managers usually buy it as a contract or on a set schedule of rates.
• Projects. Fit-outs, upgrades, new circuits and the electrical package on a build. These are quoted, often against other electricians. Builders keep a short list of trades they use job after job and rarely change it without a reason.

The usual way in is reactive work. Answer quickly, finish cleanly, and the compliance contract and project work follow.

Pricing and call-out norms

Commercial clients want a price structure they can approve once and stop thinking about:

• A call-out fee that covers attending and the first block of time on site.
• An hourly rate after that, with after-hours, weekend and emergency rates stated up front.
• Per item rates for compliance work, such as a price per appliance tested or per emergency light, so a manager can budget a whole site.
• A schedule of rates for facilities managers, listing labour, call-out and common parts, which often sits inside their prequalification system.
• Fixed quotes for projects, with materials and labour shown separately.

Put your rates on one page, keep them current, and send them before the first job. Most managers prefer a monthly account. A surprise on an invoice loses a client faster than a slow job.

Licences and checks by state

Electrical work is licensed in every state and territory, and commercial clients will check. Most states license both the person doing the work and the business that contracts for it.

• New South Wales. NSW Fair Trading says you need an electrical licence or certificate for any electrical wiring work, whatever the job's size. After the work is tested, the tester lodges a Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW) within 7 days. From 1 July 2026 every CCEW goes through the BCNSW eCert portal.
• Victoria. Contracting businesses register with Energy Safe Victoria as a Registered Electrical Contractor. A REC must hold public liability cover of at least $5 million, show the REC number on all advertising, and make sure a Certificate of Electrical Safety is completed for the work.
• Queensland. The Electrical Safety Office issues electrical work licences to individuals and an electrical contractor licence to any business that does electrical work, with a nominated person who holds a Queensland work licence.

Other states have their own regulators and certificates. Beyond your licence, expect requests for public liability, workers' compensation, a safe work method statement for high risk construction work, site inductions, and for schools a working with children check.

How to win and keep the work

Choose one or two kinds of buyer and write to them about the work they buy most. A property manager wants to hear that you answer and send photos. A facilities manager wants your licence numbers, insurances and a schedule of rates. A builder wants to know your area and how far ahead you book.

Ask to be the second call. Most managers already have an electrician, and the second call gets the job when the first one is busy. Once you are in, keep the records they need: compliance certificates on every job, test results they can find later, and a short note when something is close to failing. Managers who can plan a switchboard upgrade instead of paying for an emergency remember who told them.

Compliance work is the best kind to keep. A manager who has your test and tag and emergency lighting on a schedule rarely goes looking for someone new. If you would rather someone else did the first approach, Curlew writes to the managers and builders around you in your name and passes on anyone who's interested.